The Effect of Item Sequence on Bar Examination Scores [microform] / Stephen P. Klein and Roger Bolus

A solution to reduce the likelihood of one examinee copying another's answers on large scale tests that require all examinees to answer the same set of questions is to use multiple test forms that differ in terms of item ordering. This study was conducted to determine whether varying the sequence in which blocks of items were presented to examinees would affect test and/or item characteristics. Sixty items drawn from four content areas of a secure version of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) were constructed into four test forms and administered to 2940 bar applicants randomly divided into four groups. The testing design provided two independent tests of sequence effects under a 55 minute time limit and a 90 minute time limit. The four groups had almost identical means and standard deviations on the full 200 item MBE. The findings indicate that variations in the order in which blocks of MBE items were asked had little or no effect upon test or item statistics. This was true under the regular time per item as well as under almost total power conditions. The use of such forms appears to be a psychometrically sound and cost effective method for discouraging cheating in those testing programs that face the same policy constraints as are encountered on bar examinations. (PN)